Although the annual TEDxTalks were held virtually this year, Diamond Bar High School students still had the opportunity to give speeches on topics they are passionate about via YouTube.
To promote the event, which was hosted by the Wellness Center, presentations were posted on the DBHS Instagram account and administration posted the event on the Google Classrooms dedicated to each grade level.
In her speech, senior Mi Hyun Suh talked about the importance of truly enjoying one’s hobbies, which was a lesson she learned from her musical journey as a pianist. She said she participated in the event because she wanted to achieve her goal of delivering a public speech at least once before graduating.
“I think it was such a great experience for me to share my ideas, and all of the staff members on the Wellness Wednesday team were very helpful and supportive during the entire process,” Suh said via text. “It was amazing how I was able to go to school and record it there, and the way it was organized made it feel almost as if it was an in-person event.”
To prepare, Suh worked on creating and revising many drafts of her speech, before setting up Zoom meetings with her friends to rehearse her presentation. Staff members were present for her presentation, which made her feel as if it was an in-person event.
“From my previous experiences as a pianist, I am very aware of the fact that the more I prepare for a performance, the more I will be able to control my nervousness and anxiety on the stage and really share the beauty of the music with my audience,” Suh said. “I tried to prepare as much as possible so that I would really know my TEDxTalk by heart and share the message clearly with everyone.”
Sophomore Maia Tordillo also participated in this year’s event. In her speech, Tordillo talked about maintaining a balanced schedule, self-care and what it means to take care of others. Since she was unsure whether or not students would have the opportunity to have TEDxTalks this year, she was excited when the event was announced.
“[TEDxTalks] also gave me something to look forward to and prepare for while being at home during this unprecedented time,” Tordillo said. “I really enjoyed recording my message knowing it had to have helped someone watching.”
Although she had to participate in the event virtually, Tordillo said presenting online had its benefits since she could record her audition instead of doing it live, which allowed her to produce the best quality work.
“The deadlines were able to be extended since we were online for school anyways, it was easy to type out everything I wanted to say easily,” Tordillo said via Instagram. “I was also able to sit with my computer for long hours in the writing process.”
According to Instructional Dean Julie Galindo, the success of the speeches exceeded her expectations and she was content with the quality of every participant’s performance.
“We were able to bring the speakers onto campus to film their speech in the theater providing an authentic and professional experience,” Galindo said via email. “We were so impressed with the students; they were very well prepared, polished and poised.”